Balance
by PrInCeSsFBi
Summary: "Because I'm the reincarnation of a trained warrior and he's god of the hunt. We figured we'd even the playing field." Henry said dryly. He shared a glance with Mike who shrugged. Henry rolled his eyes at Axl's disbelieving expression and waved his hands dismissively. "Look you wanna learn how to use that sword of yours?" "Yeah." "Then you do as I say. Now try and kill Anders."


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything **

"Why do I have to wear this stupid helmet?" Axl asked as he fastened the strap under his chin.

"It's so you don't hit your head." Mike called from the back of the room. He stood in the corner watching as Henry interacted with his brother. He still hadn't completely trusted the Greek and even though it had been Axl's idea he still didn't like it. But Henry took it all in stride and took to make sure every precaution was taken. Axl had never felt like glass before but he certainly did now. Henry chuckled but didn't say anything to refute Mike.

* * *

"You're not going to point a sword in my face again are you?" Henry asked raising a brow. Axl winced apologetically.

"I'm really _really_ sorry about that." Henry nodded and took a sip of his drink before he leaned back into his seat. Axl looked around the bar uncomfortably shifting in his seat. It was way nicer than any of the places he and Zeb went to and he felt under dressed in his torn jeans and plaid shirt. The dirty look an old woman in the corner was sending him wasn't helping him either. Henry looked like he was in his element in his smart suit and styled hair. That didn't change the fact that he was expecting him to take off Axl's head at any moment. He was Hercules for fuck's sake! He could probably break him in half with his foot. Henry picked up on his twitchy nerves though and smirked, shaking his head.

"What can I do for you, Axl?" He said trying to ease the younger man.

"It's a bit…" Axl rubbed the palms of his hands along the denim of his pants. "Complicated."

Henry furrowed his brow staring at him. "How so?"

"I need to find… someone." Mike had told him not to tell Henry too much but he could have kicked himself for how stupid he managed to sound. But Henry just motioned for him to go on with an accepting nod. Maybe Anders had told him enough already. Still, he wasn't sure he even trusted Henry as much and he sure as hell didn't know why Anders did. But he was the only one who could help. "And to do that I need to become a man."

This time Henry's brows shot straight up his forehead and he looked at Axl almost disturbed. Great, now Hercules thought he was mental.

"Not like that!" Axl quickly fixed his voice raising a pitch higher than it's normal tone. "I want you to teach me how to use my sword."

"You aren't helping yourself at all here, kid."

"Not that sword! My real sword! The one I have to use to fight dragons and shit." Henry snorted out a laugh that frustrated the hell out of him. But he did, after all, point a sword in his face so he couldn't blame him completely he supposed. He felt the heat rush up along his neck.

"Can you help me or not?"

* * *

"Can't have Odin getting a concussion." Henry added handing him a stick. He was in shorts and a t-shirt, his tennis shoes new and way more intimidating than Axl's jeans and t-shirt. He glanced at Mike over his shoulder hoping that if Hercules did decide to get back at him for threatening him with a sword that Mike would have his back. But Mike was just leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Where's your sword?" Axl asked noticing the lack of one in Henry's hand.

"You aren't fighting me."

"Wha-" Anders walked onto the mat opposite of Axl stretching his neck from side to side. Axl gapped for a moment trying to see if it was just a joke but Henry said nothing simply staring at Axl.

Axl burst out laughing.

"You can't be serious." Axl laughed. Anders looked affronted but it didn't help him. Dressed in a t-shirt and wearing a helmet he looked like he was sixteen! Holding another stick thing he leaned against it.

"Why not?"

"I don't know because you're Anders. Why can't I fight like you or Mike or something?" Mike, helpful as ever, remained silent and just chose to watch.

"Because I'm the reincarnation of a trained warrior and he's god of the hunt. We figured we'd even the playing field." Henry said dryly. He shared a glance with Mike who shrugged. Henry rolled his eyes at Axl's disbelieving expression and waved his hands dismissively. "Look you wanna learn how to use that sword of yours?"

"Yeah."

"Then you do as I say. Now try and kill Anders."

Axl glanced around uncertainly trying to figure out what Mike and Henry were playing at. But Anders just stood with his arms limp at his sides. Kill Anders. He could do that. With a wide swing he lunged forward swinging his sword… stick thing down towards Anders. But Anders sidestepped and with ease raised his sword blocking the oncoming attack. Axl hadn't been expecting the force his sword would meet and stumbled while nearly losing his grip on his stick. He stared wide-eyed at Anders who was smirking in that smug way of his before Axl swung his stick straight down. Anders raised his sword and stepped back while pushing Axl's attack away and to the side. He snickered as he circled around his brother. Axl panted with exertion and glared at his brother. Anders kept making complacent pointed looks over at Mike and Henry who only seemed to be watching and not really teaching. Feeling the annoyance surge through his chest he rushed Anders and this time swung low wiping the superior arse expression off his face. But Anders just blocked it and Axl cried out and raised his stick again before Anders could shift. Or at least he thought he had because Anders just blocked that one as well and suddenly Axl wasn't the offensive fighter anymore and Anders was swinging from the left. Axl tried to block it but Anders shifted the direction of his sword by just a tick and brought his sword under Axl's block and stabbing him in the chest.

"Congrats little bro. I just killed you and now the whole country of New Zealand has been swallowed by a typhoon." Anders quipped stepping back and holding his sword once again down at his side. Axl felt his cheeks burn and he grit his teeth together at Anders's taunt. Clenching his hand around his stick he swung from his left making Anders twist. He blocked with a loud _crack _but Axl swung under his sword only for Anders to block that one as well. Pushing forward he jabbed but Anders stepped to the side. Axl realized too late that he had put too much weight forward and he stumbled. Anders took Axl's trip and smacked Axl on the back with his stick knocking him to the ground.

"What the fuck, Anders?" Axl cried into the mat. Groaning he pulled himself up looking to Mike for help.

"You're just lucky he doesn't have two swords." Mike quipped unsympathetic. Anders snickered and twirled his stick expertly. Henry only shrugged and waited for Axl to stand though he started to not want too.

"Again." Axl looked at them skeptically but rushed Anders again.

* * *

_Crack. Crack. Crack!_

Axl landed hard on his back wincing as his stick rolled away from his grip and off the mat. He had never felt so sore in his entire life. He was sweaty and his muscles ached with each step he took. Henry grabbed his stick and walked over to Axl on the ground.

"You aren't balancing your weight on your feet." He said extending the stick to Axl who grabbed it and was lifted from his defeated position.

"How come Anders doesn't fall over when he attacks me?"

"Because you're top heavy." Anders quickly replied.

"He's closer to the ground." Henry retorted. Anders rolled his eyes at the height joke but said nothing in reply. He pulled his staff over his shoulders and held it there waiting for Axl to return and bounced a brow at Mike who had his fair share of laughing at Axl over the course of the day.

"Push me." Henry said. But Axl stared at him in terribly hidden fear and just shook his head. "C'mon. Try to push me over."

With a sigh Axl shoved Henry on the shoulders but he didn't go anywhere.

"Ok. Now try and push Anders over."

"I did that before and I sent him flying across living room." Axl said impatiently. He eyed Anders sourly but even though he had deserved it he wasn't sure he wanted to send his brother across the room again. He was pretty sure he had hurt him the last time he did that though at the time he had been so angry with Anders he didn't care. He was getting frustrated but he wasn't a dick.

But Anders rolled his eyes again and walked over to Henry and Axl. Spreading his arms he waited.

"C'mon." He motioned with his hands. Axl looked over at Mike who continued to watch with interest. Being the god of the hunt meant that all of this just came naturally to him so he was intrigued with where this was going. Letting out a sharp breath from between his teeth Axl shoved Anders half-heartedly. Anders scoffed at him and smacked Axl upside the head. "C'mon!"

This time when Axl shoved him he didn't stop himself and shoved Anders hard on the shoulders. Anders only went with the shove but didn't lose his footing.

"He's got his weight balanced on both his feet." Henry said folding his arms over his chest. "When he takes a step the force of his sword hitting yours doesn't knock him over because he's got his weight in his feet and his legs."

"So when I…" Axl began staring down at Anders's legs.

"You take a step forward you leave your arse weak and ready for me to kill you with my wooden stick." Anders happily finished waving his sword in front of Axl's face.

"Whether you step forward or backward it doesn't matter." Henry demonstrated. "You need to keep your balance. A lot of people are going to be shit out of luck if you just fall on your opponent's sword because you tripped."

"Yeah but how come when I fought people before it wasn't a problem?" Axl asked.

"Adrenaline." Henry said and any part of Axl that had been proud of those moments in his life as Odin died very quickly.

"If you had been fighting for an extended period of time you would have eventually drained yourself…and died." Anders added.

"Ok, I get it!" Axl exclaimed. "I suck at sword fighting."

"No," Mike piped in and coming to place a hand on Axl's shoulder. "You don't. You just need to find your weapon of choice. It took Ty a couple of years to figure out his knack for throwing knives"

"What about Olaf?"

"He likes his axes… a little too much and we have to keep them away when he's drunk… so most of the time but even then-" Mike let his sentence hang and shrugged. "C'mon. Enough for today."

Axl's shoulders dropped dramatically and he sighed out in relief in a way that sent Anders all smug in the face again. Handing his stick back to Henry with his thanks Axl and Mike left.

"He is going to hate himself in the morning." Henry quipped when they left. "Or at least you."

"Nah. It's good for him. Builds character or something like that." They both giggled to themselves.

"So," Henry said with a smile. "Want to go another round?"

"Loser buys the alcohol tonight?"

"Deal." Henry stepped back into a ready position and Anders crouched as well. "Ready?"

_Crack. _


End file.
